Aircraft references on the cheap!

[m10bob]

About 7 years ago I moved and lost one of the best reference books I ever owned, but recently re-acquired it thru amazon.com via one of their many "used book" stores.

The book is hardbound, coffee-table sized, with many color pics and 3 view drawings of all planes.
The book has the specs of many models of each type and includes transport and trainer planes as well (in spite of the books title.

COMBAT AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II by Bill Gunston, published by Salamander Military Press...ISBN 0 86101 017 5

Go to amazon.com and search and you will find them for as little as $9.95 (IIRC) and that is what I paid for a "used" copy, (still in the original plastic wrapper).


About the author:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gunston

[el cid again]

Gunston is a British aviation authority who has done some significant work. In my view his greatest is The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft. This was done after research which took him to the USSR - and saw him meet with EVERY living aircraft designer - who produced never before released original drawings and other documents - and talked remarkably freely about many things (not quite everything). He also was the first Western person to fly an Su-27 - and told all (it is STILL not believed) this was NOT a copy of anything like we had - and it was a generation ahead in several respects (although we now have begun to use some of its features - like helmit mounted sights). Gunston works behind the scenes a lot - always trying to run down this or that - and he has a vast amount of documents and personal contacts to work with.

[m10bob]

FWIW I am finding this book is more accurate ref the climbing capabilities of planes of all nations.
Many of the planes have identical feet/min with vanilla, so some of the sources must have been identical.
A lot of the Japanese planes get their just due with this book, but then so do many of the Allied planes.

Give it a look if interested.
For the price, you can't go wrong, and I trust these sources a LOT more than some others out there.

I also like the detailed info it gives for "loads at range" for both transports and bombers.
Makes a BIG and CREDIBLE difference.